Just 21 years old at the time of this recording, this preternaturally gifted Aussie composer has unleashed a striking and assured debut that draws upon influences from somewhat “difficult” modern classicists such as George Crumb and Alfred Schnittke. Unexpectedly, however, Gardiner largely eschews the complexity and overt experimentation of his precursors in favor of pared-down elegance and melodic simplicity (albeit with some darkly dissonant harmonies).

Onliving is a very brief (about 20 minutes) four-song suite, but it sounds vibrant and fully formed as such.  There are only five musicians involved (aside from Gardiner himself, credited with the mysterious role of “electronics”) and the foundation is largely built upon a tensely repeating piano pattern that is very much indebted to minimalists such as Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt (not bombastic enough to allude to Glass).  The four interlocking movements are all basically variations of the same spartan elements, but they cohere into a masterful tug-of-war between the sparse but insistent piano and the swirling and melancholy clarinet and flute central theme.  The best parts of Onliving, however, are the sparingly used yet devastatingly effective strings: they alternate between mournful lyricism and violent churning that show that Gardiner learned a thing or two about passion from another of his major influences- Astor Piazzolla.

There is very little here to find fault with: Onliving is very brief and very simple, but it all works remarkably well.  Also, while there is essentially only one true theme repeated again and again, it is quite beautiful and memorable and Gardiner dances around it expertly and teasingly.  I suppose the sustain-blurred piano solo that makes up the entirety of the second movement, “The Loving Bells,” is a bit on the boring/filler side, but it is mercifully brief and segues nicely into “Running,” and fits thematically with everything that surrounds it.  Also worth mentioning are William’s surprisingly restrained and unobtrusive electronic contributions: until I listened closely and critically, I couldn’t even tell that they were even there. Gradually, however, I came to realize that this album sounds immediate, alive, and remarkably dense given the skeletal ensemble involved, and that credit belongs largely to Gardiner’s behind-the-scenes processing and tweaking of reverbs, delays, and decays.

Naturally, I’d be very eager to hear a deeper, more ambitious, and larger-scale work, but this EP is certainly quite impressive on its own.  I read that Gardiner has been listening to a lot of Animal Collective these days, which fleetingly filled me with trepidation about his future work, but Onliving provides ample evidence that William already has a coherent vision and a rare ability to incorporate outside influences seamlessly into it (much like his more established kindred spirit Jóhann Jóhannsson).  Classical music needs more new blood like this.

At just 21, Sydney-based composer William Gardiner possesses a talent way beyond his years. His first original composition, Onliving, is a single piece, broken up into four movements, for small ensemble and electronics. And it’s absolutely stunning.

Onliving opens with ‘Reverie’, which is based around a, by turns, playful and menacing string section. Also lurking in the background are piano, clarinet and flute; all of which come into play more and more as the piece progresses. Second movement ‘The Loving Bells’ is a brief piano vignette, lovingly performed by Dappled Cities’ Ned Cooke, which segues directly into ‘Running’. With its lush strings, insistent piano and punctuated bursts of clarinet and flute, the track brings to mind the work of Louisville post-classicists Rachel’s. On final track ‘Return’, a strident string figure is gently but sternly nudged from view by Gardiner’s electronic oscillations, leaving Onliving to dissolve with a quietly inhuman pulse. Though short, there’s a remarkable breadth to this EP; a bright beacon of things to come.

Indeed, on the strength of this release, Gardiner should join the esteemed ranks of composers such as Max Richter, Peter Broderick and Sylvain Chauveau, who have recontextualised classical idioms within avant-garde frameworks without abandoning basic notions of melody and accessibility.

by Adam D Mills

WILLIAM GARDINER – ONLIVING (CD, private)
Only twenty-one years old is our William Gardiner, who hails from Australia. He grew up with the music of Bach ‘and others’ and later on discovered the music of Astor Piazzolla, Peteris Vasks, George Crumb and Alfred Schnittke and now tries his hand in composing his own modern classical music. ‘Onliving’ is a four track CDEP with works for a small ensemble of clarinet, piano, cello, violin, flute and electronics, the latter being the department of Gardiner himself. I am not sure if I am the right man to discuss contemporary classical music, since its not my speciality. Having said that its absolutely a beautiful work, this release. It seems to be involving partly composed music, and partly improvised parts. Softly gliding and bending violin tones, mild flutes and piano accompanying this and the electronics sparse and effective. In ‘Reverie’ I thought of some light, joyous Arvo Part, in ‘The Loving Bells’ the minimalism of Steve Reich or Wim Mertens. This is music that we sometimes find on a label like Fat Cat. Very delicate and way too short. (FdW)

Appeared in Issue 690 of Vital Weekly. Also featured in the Vital Weekly Podcast.

You can see the review here, or read on:

For the sake of all, I hope that the combined arts (music)/law degree that 21 year old William Gardiner is about to complete at the University of Sydney is followed by a decision to pursue a path in the music field rather than the law field! The world doesn’t need another lawyer, but music this good deserves to be followed by more from the composer.

This debut release is a 20 minute suite in four movements for a chamber group consisting of piano, cello, clarinet, violin, flute and Gardiner’s own electronic manipulations. There are discernible influences from across the broad spectrum of the classical tradition, from delicate romanticism through to enigmatic minimalism. The overall mood is gentle, and Gardiner’s compositions stay within traditional melodic and harmonic structures, but ‘The Loving Bells’ hints at some Second Viennese School atonality while ‘Running’ plays with Reichian repetition in its dominant piano. Gardiner’s electronic manipulations are subtle, but most clearly demonstrated in the opening ‘Reverie’ where hi-pitched violin improvisations are given tails of echoes and mild pitch shifting.

The sweep of the composition is beautiful, with motifs slipping in and out across the four pieces and a strong sense of grand sonic movement. Gardiner has orchestrated an excellent collection which, while obviously formative and with influences still clear, marks out an exciting range of territory for him to explore with future work.

Available via WilliamGardiner.com.

Adrian Elmer

Onliving is available for preview and purchase via the music link above.

About the release:

Onliving is the debut EP release from 21-year-old Sydney composer William Gardiner.

A 20-minute piece in four continuous movements for small ensemble and electronics, Onliving invites the listener into an immersive and fascinating sound-world almost as vast and varied as consciousness itself. Violin notes are exquisitely stretched and squeezed by analog delay, piano notes ricochet before tightening into rhythmic allignment, and at times collective improvisation vies with exact notation for control of the musical landscape.

Stylistic influences range from the solemn beauty of the music of Pēteris Vasks, to the minimal techniques of Reich, to the exploratory sounds of new music bands such as Animal Collective and Do Make Say Think.

The piece was recorded by sound designer/producer Bob Scott at Trackdown Scoring Stage, one of the world’s most revered spaces for acoustic recording, and features performances by some of Sydney’s most promising emerging musicians, including Ned Cooke (piano) of the much-acclaimed Sydney band Dappled Cities.

It’s an EP-length release, for a small ensemble with electronics, consisting of a four continuous tracks which really form one big piece. I was really fortunate to work with some wonderful people over the course of putting it together and I’m really excited for people to hear it.

Check back here for all the details.

Much, much thanks to the wonderful Lilian Fan who fashioned it using only her bare hands from very scant raw materials.

The music section of my website is my bandcamp page, a great site which facilitates thorough checking out of my music. Digital downloads are also available for purchase there in a veritable smorgasbord of different formats (gotta love the flacs).